Social Exclusion Amplifies Behavioral Responses to Physical Pain via Insular Neuromodulation

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pain Research
• Social Psychology

Background:

• The Pain Overlap Theory suggests social and physical pain share neural systems.
• The insular cortex is implicated in this overlap, but mechanisms remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mechanistic link between social exclusion and physical pain perception.
• To explore the role of neuromodulatory signaling in the insular cortex during social exclusion.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel 'Fear of Missing Out' (FOMO) Task in mice to study social exclusion.
• Assessed behavioral responses to physical pain and neural representations of nociceptive stimuli.
• Utilized biosensors to analyze endocannabinoid and oxytocin signaling in the insular cortex.

Main Results:

• Socially excluded mice showed heightened physical pain responses and disrupted neural processing.
• Endocannabinoid and oxytocin signaling in the insular cortex exhibited opposing patterns related to social exclusion.
• Blocking oxytocin signaling in the insular cortex exacerbated physical pain responses post-social exclusion.

Conclusions:

• Social exclusion significantly alters physical pain perception in mice.
• Neuromodulatory signaling, particularly involving oxytocin in the insular cortex, mediates the impact of social exclusion on pain.